MANILA, Philippines?A blanket of steam enveloped parts of restive Mayon Volcano early Wednesday morning but volcanologists said there was no cause for alarm.
The phenomena, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), was caused by rain beating down on its heated slopes.
?The interaction of rain water with the hot lava deposits caused 50-meter high dirty white clouds that drifted towards southwest,? Phivolcs explained in its latest bulletin.
The steam clouds were observed along the Bonga gully, about 300 meters down the slope of the volcano?s crater from 7:09 to 7:15 a.m.
Phivolcs also detected four volcanic earthquakes and 21 rockfall events, or the detachment of lava fragments from the volcano?s upper slopes.
A moderate amount of white steam from the summit crater was also observed during cloud breaks. Alcuin Papa
